Pole peeling and shaping machine



Jan. 16-, 1934. R. H. WHITE, JR., El AL I 1,943,649

POLEPEELING AND SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4, 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet lattorney 4 sheets sheet 2 Gttorneg Jan. 16, 1934. R. H. WHITE, JR., ETAL POLE FEELING AND SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4, 1932 Jan. 16, 1934- R.H. WHITE, JR., ET AL 1,943,649

POLE FEELING AND SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3(Ittorneg Jan. 16, 1934. R. H. WHITE, JR., ET AL 1,943,649

POLE FEELING AND SHAPING MACHINE Filed Aug. 4. 1932 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 8;;ER. iZZon/ (Ittorneg Patented Jan. 16, 1934 POLE PEELING AND SHAPINGMACHINE Robert H. White, Jr., Atlanta, and Elam R. Gillon,

East Point, Ga., assignors to Southern Wood Preserving Company, Atlanta,Ga., a corporation. of Georgia Application August 4, 1932. Serial No.627,522

12 Claims. (01. 142-32) This invention relates to pole peeling andshaping machines and aims, among other objects, to provide a greatlyimproved machine for cutting and shaping telephone and telegraph poles,transmission line poles, flag poles and thelike. The idea is to removethe excess stock so as to make the poles of the uniform sizes required,thereby producing a neat appearance, reducing the shipping spacerequired for the poles, and effecting a considerable saving in thequantity of creosote or other preservative used on them. One of the mainobjects is to provide a full floating, pole shaping machine whichrotates about a pole being fed through it and is capable of followingordinary crooks or sweeps of the pole without removing an excess ofstock. Another aim is to provide automatic adjusting means for thecutting mechanism to control the taper of the poles being shaped or cut,it being understood that ordinary telephone poles vary about one inch indiameter in ten feet. Furthermore, the invention contemplates a machineof this character which is capable of dress-.

ing poles very rapidly and doing the work accurately.

Other aims and advantages of the invention will appear in thespeciflcatiom when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine sho in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the machine, a front plate beingomitted;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4, drawn on areduced scale, and parts being omitted;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view on a reduced scale, showing the casing brokenaway and parts in section to illustrate one form of indicatingmechanism; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, on a reduced scale, showing in outline onemode of feeding a pole through the machine.

The present machine is especially designed to cut and shape poles to therequired size as they are fed longitudinally through it. The purpose isto avoid the necessity to rotate the poles while they are being shapedand to enable the machine to cut them very rapidly to the requireddiameter, regardless of ordinary crooks or bends, known as sweeps, whichcause a long rotating pole to whip. To enable the machine to operate onmore or less crooked poles, it is necessary that it shall be capable oflimited universal and floating movement in various directions. Inaccordance with this invention, motor driven cutters are mounted in aplural direction floating and rotatable housing which turns about a poleas it is fed through the machine.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the operating mechanism ismounted in a horizontal, cylindrical-housing or casing 10 which isrotatably supported at its ends within a pair of rings 11. To reducefriction, the drum is shown as having ball bearings 12 between it andthe rings and the rings are connected at the top and bottom by bracebars 13 (Figs. 2 and 4). Thus, the bracd rings provide a skeleton framefor the housing.

This frame must be capable of full floating movement to permit themachine to ride over sweeps or crooks on the poles. For this purpose,the skeleton frame is shown as being mounted within a central pair ofspaced supporting rings 14 constituting a gimbal-ring support. Thesesupport- 5 ing rings are preferably connected by bars or blocks 15opposite the bars 13 between the rings 11 and trunnion pins 16 projectfrom the central portions of the bars 13 into ball bearings 17 in theblocks or bars 15. This pivotal connection per mits the machine to swingon the axis of the vertical trunnions.

Referring to Fig. 1, the supporting rings 14 are also mounted forvertical and lateral move ments, as well as pivotal movement about ahorizontal axis, being supported between standards 18. In this instance,the standards are mounted on a sub-frame 19 composed of structural steelbeams. On diametrically opposite sidesof the rings 14 are ball bearings20 similar to the bearings 1'7 to receive horizontal pins or shafts 21pivotally mounted on the upper ends of a pair of floating arms 22. Theupper parts of the bearings are slightly above the center of gravity ofthe machine to prevent it from tilting freely g about them. The arms 22are shown as being suspended substantially midway between their ends bypivoted links 23 and said links are pivotally connected to the upperends of U-shaped supports 24 which are conveniently made of strap metaland are adjusted vertically by a hydraulic or pneumatic piston 25 havinga piston rod 26 connected to the lower ends of the U-shaped supports.However, the whole machine and its frame may be otherwise supported topermit balanced vertical movement. As will be noted in Fig. 1, the lowerends of the floating arms 22 have pins 2'7 projecting through verticalslots 28 in the U-shaped supports 24. This permits the arms 22 to movelaterally as the susa passere pending arms 23 swing about their upperpivots. The side thrust on the U-shaped supports 24 is transmitted torollers 29 mounted on the insides of the standards. I

To guide the upper ends of the U-shaped supports 24 to move vertically,pairs of arms 30 are pivotally connected to the upper ends oi thestandards and project on opposite sides, being pivotally connected tolower pairs of arms 31 which carry the pivot pin 32 for the arm 23between the ehds of the U-shaped supports 24. The pivoted arms 30 and 31are similar to lazy tongs and constrain the upper ends of the U- shapedsupports to move vertically. These arms also have ball bearings andspacer washers 33 to enable them to take care oi side thrusts irnpartedto the pivot pins 32. It will now be seen that the height of the machinemay be varied by raising or lowering the arms. Ordinarily, the machinewill be adjusted to the approximate height for receiving the. small endof a pole oi a given size. As the machine rides over sweeps, the arms 22and 23 permit it to move laterally, while the hydraulically operatedsupports 24 permil; limited vertical movement in addition to thecompound pivotal movement of the casing on the trunnions l6 and pins 21.

Referring now to the illustrated power operating mechanism, the housingor casing 10 is shown as being rotated within the rings 11 by means of amotor 34. which drives gear 35 meshing with a ring gear 36 secured tothe rear ring 11. The gear 35 is shown as being beltdriven. However, itis to be understood that ordinary reduction gearing may be employed. The

motor 34 is shown as being mounted on a frame or base 3'? within thehousing above an inner cylindrical shell or sleeve 38. This inner sleeveor shell is supported coaxially of the machine by radial braces 39connected to the inside of the shell or casing 10 at the outer end andby a transverse partition or plate to at the forward end (see Fig.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4', a pair of diametr cally opposed cutterheads 41 projecting through radial slots in 'the partition so are drivenby motors 42 mounted on cross-heads 43 and guided to move radially ofthe housing by means of channel guide members 44. The channel guides arepreferably secured to the inside wall of the housing 10 and to thecentral sleeve 38. Incidentally, the central sleeve 38 is cut away atits opposite sides to permit the motors to be projected radiallyinwardly a suficient distance for the cutters to operate on a smallpole.

The two motor driven cutters are adapted to be adjusted so as to cut atapered pole by means of a separate motor 45 which is also mountedwithin the housing (Fig. 3). In this instance, the

J motor 45 is connected to slide the crossheads 43 radially inwardly oroutwardly by a shaft 46, worm gears 47 and 48 and feed screws 49. Thespeed of this motor can be varied by an ordinary rheostat according tothe speed at which the poles are fed longitudinally through the ma.-

chine. Since the usual taper of the poles is about one inch in ten feet,the motor 45 will feed each of the crossheads 43 radially outwardlythrough a half inch while a pole is being fed longitudinally through adistance of ten feet. Incidentally, the speed of this motor may bevaried by an operator according to the speed at which a pole is fed andit is reversible so that the cutters may be readjusted for another poleafter one is finished. Moreover, the motor as may be employed to adjustthe cutters and, then, stopped, when the machine is used to shapecylindrical poles or posts.

All of the motors are supplied with current through bus rings 5e aroundand insulated from 8 the casing 10. Wiping contacts 51 are shown asbeing secured to the upper brace bar 13 between the rings 11 (Fig. 3).

To enable an operator to adjust the cutters and also observe theirpositions of adjustment 8 or the diameter of a pole while it is beingshaped, an annular gauge plate 52, conveniently made of sheet metal, isshown as projecting behind the machine and provides a pointercooperating with an index plate 53 calibrated to indicate the diameterin inches. The gauge plate 52 is shown as being slidably supported byguide rods 54 extending through brackets 55 within the casing 10. Theplate is moved inwardly and outwardly by the crossheads 13 which carrythe cutter mo- 9 tors. For this purpose, a pair of operating rods 56 arepivotally connected at their inner ends to hell cranks 57 which areactuated by the crossheads (Figs. 4 and 6). Incidentally, many parts areomitted in Fig. 6, better to show the bell crank connections and otherdetails.

The poles are fed longitudinally into the machine conveniently byordinary endless crawlers (not shown), engaging their opposite sides andtheir small ends pass through an opening or ill mouth 53 in a frontplate 59, ready to be gripped by supporting, centering and guidingrollers 66. The rollers 60 are shown as being mounted on angularbrackets 81 secured to blocks or plates 52 guided in radial channelsprovided by opposed ll of angles 63 on the inside of the front plate(Fig. 4). Three such rollers are shown 120 apart and they are preferablyclamped against the poles by means of a single pneumatic piston 64 in acylinder 65. For this purpose, a piston rod at is ill connected to a pin67 which extends through a radial slot 63 in the front plate and issecured to one of the blocks 32. To impart simultaneous movement to theother rollers, an annular plate 69 having cam slots 70 is rotatablymounted 12 around the cylindrical mouth 58. The pin 6'? imparts rotationto the cam plate and the lower cam slots 70 (Fig. 1) impart movement topins 71, similar to the pin 67, which arelikewise secured to the blocks62 of these rollers. Hence, 12 an attendant can control the guidingrollers by means of an air valve (not shown). As a pole passes throughthese rollers the sweeps or crooks will impart guiding movement throughthem to the machine so that the cutters will not take off 13 too muchstock on the crooks.

To prevent the shavings from clogging up the mechanism in the casing 10,a pair of overlapping shutters '72 are secured to the front ends of thehousings of the motors 42 behind the cutter heads 13 so that theshutters move with the motors and closely surround poles of any diameterwhich the machine will take. A sheet metal shield 73 is shown as beingsecured to the partition 40 around the projecting end of motor 34. Also,to prevent .14 shavings from accumulating in the front end of thecasing, a frusto-conical sheet metal baflie '74 is secured to thepartition 40 and extends to the open end of the casing. The front plate59 terminates short of the bottom of the casing so 14 that the shavingswill fall out. It is contemplated that the machine will be mounted in apit, as shown in Fig. 7, and the shavings will be removed from theopening by an ordinary suction fan having a flexible conduit (notshown). 15

In Fig. '7, the machine is shown as being mounted in a pit and a pole isbeing fed, small end first through it by means of carriages '75 and 76on tracks 77 leading to and from the ingoing and outgoing ends of themachine. After the pole is fed, say, a little more than half way throughthe machine by the ingoing carriage, its shaped end is suitably securedto the outgoing carriage and is pulled the rest of the way through,while the ingoing carriage is returned to get another pole. Drivingmeans for the carriages and means for clamping the poles on them requireno detailed description. As a matter of fact, this type of feedingapparatus is to be treated as illustrative only, as there are manydifferent ways to convey the poles through the machine.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the improvedmachine is adapted to shape heavy poles very rapidly. It eliminatesexpensive and cumbersome apparatus for rotating the poles. Moreover, itsfull floating action makes it possible to shape crooked poles withoutcutting off an excess of the stock at the crooks or sweeps. In short,the machine solves a .problem which heretofore has defied a successfulsolution. It not only shapes crooked poles to their required dimensions,but also greatly improves their appearance. The removal of the excessstock on oversized poles which cannot be classed in the next largerclass or group greatly reduces the quantity of preservative required,the weight and the shipping space. The money saved on transportationcharges alone would justify an installation in any wood preserving plantwhich treats poles of this type.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to -the particularembodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is notindispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly,since they may beemployed advantageously in various combination andsub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

l. A machine for shaping poles having crooks or sweeps comprising, incombination, a casing through which a pole is adapted to be fedlongitudinally; a frame within which the casing is rotatably mounted;rotary cutting means within the casing; means to rotate the casingwithin the frame; pole clamping guides adjacent to the cut ting meansadapted to ride over the sweeps of the poles; and supporting means forthe frame and casing connected to permit floating movement of thecutting means.

2. A cutting machine for shaping crooked poles comprising a casingmounted for universal and floating movement to follow the sweeps of apole fed longitudinally therethrough; a power driven rotary cutterwithin the casing; guiding means within the casing to engage the poleand impart floating movement to the casing; and means to rotate thecasing and the cutter about the pole.

3. A pole shaping machine of the character described comprising, incombination, a substantially cylindrical casing; a frame within whichthe casing is rotatably mounted; supports connected to the frame and thecasing permitting movement of the casing to follow substantially thesweeps of a crooked pole fed longitudinally therethrough; power driven,rotary 'cutters mounted in the casing; and power driven means also inthe casing connected to rotate it with the cutters about a pole.

4. A cutting machine for shaping crooked poles comprising a casingmounted for universal and floating movement on a pole fed longitudinallytherethrough; a power driven rotary cutter within the casing; guidingmeans within the casing to engage the pole and impart floating movementto the casing; means for constantly adjusting the position of the rotarycutter according to the required varying diameter of the pole; and meansto rotate the casing and'the cutter about the pole.

5. A pole shaping machine of the character described, comprising, incombination, a substantially cylindrical casing; a frame within whichthe casing is rotatably mounted; supports connected to -the frame andthe casing permitting universal and floating movement of the casing tofollow substantially the sweeps of a crooked pole fed longitudinallytherethrough; power driven, rotary cutters 'mounted in the casing; powerdriven means also in the casing connected to rotate it with the cuttersabout the pole; and means connected to feed the cutters so as to producethe required taper of a pole.

6. A pole shaping machine comprising, in combination, a substantiallyhorizontal, cylindrical casing; a pair of opposed power driven, rotarycutters within the casing; radially adjustable supports for the cuttersto enable them to shape tapered poles; supports for the casing mountedto permit universal and floating movement; guiding rollers in the casingto engage a pole fed longitudinally therethrough between said outters;power driven means in the casing connected to rotate it and said rotarycutters about a pole; a motor having gearing connected to feed thecutters radially as a tapered pole is being fed through the machine; anda separate motor connected to rotate the casing about the pole.

7. A pole shaping machine for cutting crooked, tapered poles to therequired size, comprising, in combination, a horizontal, rotatablecasing mounted for universal and floating movement to follow the sweepsof a pole fed longitudinally and axially therethrough; a pair of motordriven, rotary cutters slidably and adjustably mounted within thecasing; a motor within the casing connected to rotate it and the cuttersabout a pole being fed therethrough; a plurality of centering andguiding rollers adjacent to the cutters adapted to engage a pole; motoroperated gearing for feeding the cutters according to the required taperof a pole; and a gauge operatively connected to the cutters to indicatethe adjusted positions of the cutters and the finished diameter of apole as it is being cut.

8. A pole shaping machine of the character described comprising auniversal and floating,

rotatable casing; a pair of radially adjustable,

rotary cutters within the casing and rotatable therewith about a polefed longitudinally and axially through the machine; pneumaticallyoperated guiding rollers at the entering end of the casing connected toengage a pole and impart floating movement to the casing and the cuttersas the sweeps of the pole are engaged by the rollers; means connected tofeed the cutters radially as a tapered pole is being fed through themachine so as to vary its diameter from one end to the other; a gaugeplate projecting from the rear end of the machine and operativelyconnected to the .cutter adjusting mechanism to indicate the diameter ofthe pole being cut at any point; a supporting partition within'thecasing.

be moved back and forth as the cutters are ad justed to prevent shavingsfrom entering said opening and clogging the mechanism.

9. In a pole shaping machine for cutting crooked, tapered poles, ahorizontal cylindrical casing mounted to rotate about a pole and carrying rotary cutters; a pair of supporting rings ad- Jacent to theopposite ends of the casing; roller bearings between said rings and thecasing; diametrically opposed bars connected to the rings at the top andbottom; vertical trunnions connected to the mid portions of said bars; asecand pair of rings surrounding the brace bars and having connectingbloclrs within which said trun= nions are pivoted whereby the casing mayhave pivotal movement about a vertical axis; diametrically opposedhorizontal bearings carried by said last named rings; pivotal supportingarms having horizontal pins journaled in said bearings to permit pivotalmovement of the casing about a horizontal axis; means connected to thepivoted arms to permit lateral movement of the casing; and hydraulicpistons connected to raise and lower said pivoted supporting arms tovary the height of the casing.

10.111 a machine for shaping poles having crooks or sweeps, a universaland floating cylindrical casing carrying power driven rotary cutters;means to rotate the casing about a pole fed longttudinally and axiallytherethrough between the cutters; pole guiding and supporting rollersadiacent to the cutters adapted to impart floating intense a pole andcarrying rotary cutting means; pole guiding and gripping means at thepole-entering end of the casing, including a plurality oi rollers;radially movable brackets supporting the rollers; a pneumatic pistonoperatively connected to one of the brackets; and a rotatable cam plateactuated by said piston to impart corresponding movements to the otherbrackets.

12. In a machine for shaping tapered poles, a substantially cylindricalcasing adapted to he rotated about a pole ied longitudinallytherethrough; motor driven rotary cutters on opposite sides of the axisof the casing; radial guides within the casing; crossheads on the cutterdriving motors slidably mounted in said guides; feed screws connected tothe crossheads to adjust the cutters; and a motor connected to actuatethe feed screws and adjust the cutters as a pole is fed through themachine.

ROBERT 'WHITE, J FEW I G'LLLUN.

